UPSET

[throwawaydad]

This is WAY off-topic, but here it is.

Earlier today, an old friend from the past, who I flew with extensively, lost his life in a 747-400 accident outside of Dubai.

He's not the first pilot I've ever met who died while plying his trade.  The story is that there was a fire in the cockpit.  Perhaps so, perhaps not...we'll sort it all out in the investigation.

Meanwhile a VITAL Flight Crew Information File message sent to FedEx Cockpit Crews just 5 days ago:

"Lithium Battery
FCIF XX-XXX (Vital)

Issued: 08/30/10 1843z
Source: J.P.
Suspense: 10/31/10
Approved: XXXXXXXXX

Last weekend we experienced a lithium battery event. The battery
essentially spontaneously erupted into flames. While the investigation is
ongoing, I would like to make you aware of some disturbing similarities we
have seen in all the events that I am aware.

First, this battery was not properly packaged for shipment. In this
event the battery was inside a personal flashlight inside a personal
backpack.

Second, the malfunctioning battery was NOT a name brand produced or
purchased within the USA. It was one produced and procured in China.

Third, these fires are NOT successfully dealt with by Halon (the
agent in our fire extinguishing systems on board our aircraft). It was
fortunate that a full (or nearly full) water bottle was next to the
flashlight so that when the battery went high order and erupted into flames
the plastic water bottle was compromised and the water was then dumped onto
the burning flashlight (the Halon was effective at containing the burning
backpack).

The Lithium (or high energy) battery issue is not going away. We
all carry them in our cell phones, IPhones, Blackberries, laptops…it is
almost scary. We have them in the PATs/APLC devices on board the aircraft.
Banning them would be problematic to say the least. In the case of the on
board devices we have implemented a program to swap the batteries out at
predetermined intervals and to date we have not had an event related to our
onboard devices.

In the meantime as we work to develop a PED (personal electronic
device) policy please consider the carriage and usage of cheapo batteries
obtained in China as a really dangerous idea. While this battery went high
order on the jumpseat while still on the ground, it could have done so in
the crew baggage area 500nm from SYA, or in the trunk of his car, or at
home in the garage, or in the bedroom…

More when we get it. Thanks-"


A li-ion battery being SQUEEZED by vice grips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG_UuPmLO1c


Worst-case scenario.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcd34tt8YPU&feature=player_embedded#!


Check your sh1t, boys.

And check everyone else's sh!t you care about.

[robert angel]

T.A.D.,

I am saddened to hear of your friend's death. The media all too often is more inclined to paint pilots in less than flattering ways. Last year's Capt. Sully--Miracle on the Hudson" was a notable exception. Pilots, in my view, do a remarkable job and deal with many variables and frustrations that passengers typically have no idea about

The dangers of lithium ion batteries and these batteries, as well as many other 'cheaper' off brand products from China being more problematic is nothing new either.

Oxygen and heat within these batteries has long been known to be the culprit with heat buildup, explosions and fires.

Hopefully research along the lines of what I'm copying below, will produce safer L.I. batteries that will satisfy an increasingly power hungry line of products being produced....

>>Water-Based Li-Ion Batteries: One Safer Solution
    BY Kit EatonWed Aug 11, 2010


Lithium batteries are literally the powerhouse behind the mobile gadget revolution: They're reliable, they don't have a serious multiple-cycle "memory effect" like Ni-Cad batteries do, they can be fashioned into all sorts of shapes, and they're good a providing significant amounts of charge. But they're far from perfect--a fuss about their fire-hazard habits is in the headlines right now, for example. This is because they're actually very sophisticated inside, and the electrolyte the lithium is dissolved in is often toxic and flammable.

But now scientists have found a way to remove some of the barriers that prevent an alternative tech--aqueous lithium ion batteries--working as efficiently, and in the future these power cells may take up some of the load of "normal" lithium ion batteries. The advantage of an aqueous Li-ion cell are obvious right there in the name: They're water based, and thus potentially less poisonous and explodey. The tech's been in existence for a while, but never seen mainstream adoption due to the very, very poor lifespan of the design. It's typical to see the capacity of an aqueous unit fall to less than 50% of charge after just a thousand cycles.

Which is where the clever bit of new thinking comes in. By tweaking the oxygen content in a lithium sulphate/water electrolyte, the team discovered that the cells retained up to 90% of their capacity after a thousand cycles--much closer to the performance of more "normal" Li-cells. A few drawbacks do remain, though: The power retention of the devices is reduced. The developers see that the system could have uses in situations where its safety is desirable though, such as hybrid-engine city buses, or where wind turbines or other alt-power generators are producing spare electrical capacity that needs to be stored.<<

[Dave H]

Hey TAD,

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend!

I have heard about fires started by Chinese batteries. It is also not uncommon for their buses catch fire. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/07/2010753342950776.html Since I almost always ride on Chinese made buses in the Philippines with sealed windows and no emergency exits, I am never without something to break out the window to escape (as we talked about before). It would also come in handy in a hostage or crash situation. Philippine made buses are probably not much better. I even have a glass breaking tool in my truck.

Then again, I heard that 1250 Ferrari 458 Italias have been recalled because they are catching fire, due to a flammable adhesive holding on the heat shield...probably not a good idea! But what do I know...I used to drive a 71 Pinto, which is probably the vehicle of choice for car bombers!  I loved that damn car! "Ferrari last week opened an enquiry after four of its vehicles caught fire spontaneously in California, China, France and Switzerland."  It goes 205 MPH! What else do people want for $250,000, a car that doesn't catch fire at 205 MPH.  Geeesh...some people want to have their cake and eat it too!    Unbelievable!  

Dave "Pinto"

[robert angel]

Wow Dave,

Those are some hot, frickin cars, alright!

[michaelb]

Judging by the rear bumper (which could have been replaced, goodness knows the rest of it has) the Pinto in your picture is a 1973 model (or newer). 71 and 72 didn't have the extra space between the bumper and the body...that was added in 1973, not just on Pintos but on almost all cars that year because they had to redesign the bumpers to meet the new federal 10mph crash test. And, if memory serves me right, the didn't offer the hatchback until 73 or 74.  I too had a 1971 Pinto, bought it the first day they were out, and it was number 853 off the line, so it was a 'first day' Pinto both for sale and manufacture. To this day I won't own another Ford! Funny thing is, I had an accident (my fault, and I even got a ticket) in it. I was struck by a freight train, in the rear no less, and it did not burst into flames, ha ha. I suffered a minor cut on my left arm, which did not require treatment, because the trunk lid went sailing like a Frisbee and came down and hit me on my arm, which I had resting on the window sill. That's not to say that they won't catch on fire, because mine did suffer a carburetor fire once, for no apparent reason, which left an ugly burned spot on the hood.

[Dave H]

Judging by the rear bumper (which could have been replaced, goodness knows the rest of it has) the Pinto in your picture is a 1973 model (or newer). 

Hey Michael,

I see that you are also a Pinto aficionado! I couldn't find a photo of a 71 that looked like crap. Most of the remaining Pintos have been converted to hot rods or drag racers.

I did the recall and a plastic shield was placed between the rear differential and the gas tank. I never got hit in the rear so I don't know if it worked.  I had 2 Pintos stolen. There was a company in town that took the bodies off and used the chassis to bolt on an old MG looking fiberglass body.

You are lucky that you were in a Pinto and not an AMC Gremlin!  In the late 70's I had a rescue call where a mother and adult son in a Gremlin were hit by a freight train. I just walked along the track picking up body parts (mostly heads and limbs) and then used the "Jaws" (Hurst Tool) to remove what was left of them from inside the Gremlin.

Dave

On second though owning a Gremlin may have had it's advantages! 

[Dave H]

This might be a 71 Pinto...although it didn't explode. The hubcaps and front bumper look like that of a later model. .  



Here is a 74 Pinto from the movie "Top Secret."

[Dave H]

This is my favorite Pinto (wagon) scene from a movie ("Blues Brothers") ! Nazis in Pintos, with Wagner (Die Walküre: "The Ride of the Valkyries" ) playing in the background...very hard to beat that combination!  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkkXHjQSyEI

Helicopters, surfing, and Wagner...another great combination from "Apocalypse Now!"  If only they had a Pinto helicopter!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7XNb3Q9Ek&feature=related

It's not a Pinto, but a VW helicopter  is pretty cool.


How about a flying Pinto.

[michaelb]

I tried to find one of the "Hey, Gremlin!" commercials but couldn't. But I did find this Pinto Commercial. Were either of yours the color of the one in the commercial? Mine was, in fact I think all of the early ones were. It was yellow, but Ford called it "'Pinto Gold". Mine had the 1600cc engine, there was an optional 2000cc...both were pure junk...but at least not as bad as their GM competitor, the Chevrolet Vega.

The caption says 1970, but they must mean when the commercial was made, not the model year, which of course was 1971.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX-Zk_LNZWg&feature=related
   

[Dave H]

Hey Michael
  
Yep...the 71 was same color on the outside. It looked just about like the Pinto commercial on the outside when we bought it. Except it was a base model and didn't have chrome below the door and around the windows. I always thought it was called "medium yellow gold."  But I read that was the "sales name" color in 1972. It was called "Pinto Gold" in 1971. Perhaps it was a late 1971 model. We bought it in early 71, I can't remember the month. I remember it was about the color of yellow road lane stripes. I always called it "mustard yellow."   The interior was black. It had the German 2000cc engine, a Weber progressive 2 barrel carburetor, and 4 speed manual transmission, black rubber floor, and no air conditioning (you remember things like that in South Florida). It was a pretty basic car that my brother and I pimped out with carpet, a Pioneer 8 track with Jenson speakers, mag wheels with bigger tires, bullet style outside mirrors, and black paint - large stripes on the side, a rectangular patch on the hood, black front grill and on the back around the tail lights.

I also had a dark brown  76 hatchback. It was a dark brown metallic.

The paint sceme on the 71 Pinto  looked a lot like this newer model. I wish we would have had a V8 in it! My friend put a 289 in his.

[michaelb]

Opps, it wasn't "Hey, Gremlin"....it was "Hey, Javelin"...here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j04v2XrVwg

[Jeff S]

I had a friend with a Javelin AMX in college. I just never got the whole "full-race Rambler" concept.

Come to think of it one of my roommates in College had a Chevy Vega and he was dating a girl with a Gremlin. He ended up the CEO of a big medical instrumentation business and she's a writer in Hollywood.

My father had a yellow '71 Pinto, too, the year they came out. At that time, I was heavy into imported cars early and drove a Sunbeam Alpine. Wire wheels and all.



Mine was pale blue though. Different world back then ...

[Dave H]

I was heavy into imported cars early and drove a Sunbeam Alpine. Wire wheels and all.

Mine was pale blue though. Different world back then ...

Hey Jeff,

Sunbeams were sweet! My friend had an Alpine and later bought his dream a...a Sunbeam Tiger.

Dave

[Dave H]

Opps, it wasn't "Hey, Gremlin"....it was "Hey, Javelin"...here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j04v2XrVwg

Hey Michael,

I especially remember the line in that commercial..."Hello monomi. You wish to race with me?" 

My friend's dad used to be a car salesman for AMC...and somehow made a good living. I remember he used to love his Marlin!

Two of my aunts owned Pacers...my Dad used to help them buy new cars (He worked in the auto industry in Michigan). We moved to Florida and they were on their own. When he heard about their Pacers I thought he was going to have a stroke! Both of their motors were rebuilt during the first year. As I recall, bent push rods. Evidently AMC was buying engines for the Pacer. But they didn't buy complete motors, but rather assembled them from various Ford and GMC motor parts.

Dave

Marlin



Pacer

[michaelb]

As I recall, bent push rods.

Got one better than that. On the 1600cc Pinto it had a pretty standard valve train, chain driven cam in the block, solid lifters, push rods and rocker arms. At about 28,000 miles mine broke a lifter...only time I've ever seen a solid lifter break. The local parts houses and Ford dealer didn't have any, so I had to make a trip to Fred Jones Ford in Tulsa. Told the counter man what I needed, he went in the back and got it. I opened the package and said "This isn't the right part" and showed him the broken one. He looked at it and said "Oh, you've got one of the early ones, yeah, they've had a lot of trouble with them, that's why they made this new one."  New one was the same length but twice as thick, of course it wouldn't fit in my car, but they did have the old style in stock too, so I bought it and went back home and put the engine back together and it worked (well, for awhile, anyway, later I had to replace the whole thing with a rebuilt short block....like I said, pure junk)

[Dave H]

Hey Michael,

Damn English Ford Kent motor! The only thing I ever heard good about them was that Lotus used them.

Never had a problem with the Cologne, Germany made 2000cc overhead cam engines! (2.0 L (122 CID) EAO SOHC) We had 5 (4 Pintos and 1 Capri) between my dad, brother, and myself. Most of the other Capris that I saw had the 1600cc Kent motor. All of the cars were running great and had well over 100,000 miles when they were replaced or stolen.

Dave

[Jeff S]

Hey Jeff,

Sunbeams were sweet! My friend had an Alpine and later bought his dream a...a Sunbeam Tiger.

Dave

My best frined in HS had a Tiger II (289 instead of a 260) and his was bored to 302 with the Cleveland heads. Used to love to square off against 240Zs that had just come out at the time. Ah - the good old high school days headed down to Newport Beach with the rag-top down.

Found a picture of mine with me driving in a slalom race at the Rose Bowl in the fall of '70.

[michaelb]

Cool picture, Jeff.

[throwawaydad]

I had a 1967 XKE.

I got more pu33y by driving that car around

Karma really bit back hard, tho.

[Dave H]

I had a 1967 XKE.

I got more pu33y by driving that car around

Karma really bit back hard, tho.

Hey TAD,

You had a 1967 XKE...no wonder karma is bitting you hard!  You are just lucky that you didn't get frozen and completely lose your Mojo like Austin Powers! 

[michaelb]

What movie was it where the protagonist was trying out some new secret weapon (ala James Bond) and when it messed up he said "British" (in a tone the implied "It's British, of course it doesn't work"). The movie was definitely of the spy spoof genre and I think they had that scenario several times, as a running gag, if you will ..was that Austin Powers or some other movie?

[robert angel]

Didn't that X Jag's basic design (talk about a sexy classic) go back to the mid 1950's? That car's aged better than Lauren Bacall, who for quite a while, even after her hubby, Humphrey Bogart passed away, was sexy as all get out...

Only cars that immediately come to mind that to this day look as fresh and sexy as they did during their 'era' were some Duesenbergs, Auburns. Talbot lagos and a few Benz's and couple BMW's from the 1950s. maybe some of the Alfa Romeos and ferraris--but the 1950's and early 60's Ferrari's were pretty ugly in my opinion, save for maybe the Ferrari California GTO's, of which I own three. (Yea--RIGHT!--haha)

People rage about the 1964 and a half Mustang, (Lee Iacocco was brilliant there--he put a sexy Mustang body on a cheap ford Falcon chassis and changed the car industry forever after) but the only American car from 1950 to 1965 that comes close to looking fresh and cool to this day as the day it came out, in my opinion, are the original Corvette Stingrays, although the Studebaker Avanti came close...

Yea--that 1959 Cadillac Eldorado was cool, but it was way over the top--a freak of a car, with those Jane Mansfield tits bumpers and the highest wings ever put on a car's rear end, complete with space rocket tail lamps. Cool--but total over kill.

[robert angel]

What were those Japanese, English looking sports cars--Sunbeam Tigers--Datsun 2000's, Honda S800's? I think Sunbeam was one for sure--There's a guy not far from me who has three 60's Sunbeam's I think they are. Not too many people remember the Japanese attempt to grab a chunk of the two seater sports car market. As unreliable as the MGs and Triumphs were, I'm surprised they didn't really score a true hit till the 70's, with the "Z". Quite a few Japanese two seat sports cars have come and gone over the years, but they don't quit coming out with new ones. Anyone got $375,000 to loan me for the new Lexus two seater?....

Nowadays, the Mazda Miata, although certainly not my type of car, is twenty some years later, still on many 'top five' or 'top ten' best handling. or 'fun for the buck'  cars on 'under $50,000' lists.

Money doesn't always mean best handling performance in sports cars--the lower end of the Porsche scale Boxster--especially the Boxster Spyder, is widely considered a better handling car than the $150,000 + top of the line 911/997/GT2/GT3 class cars.

My Dad was a V.P. with General Motors and liked the Miata convertible so much he bought one back in the 1980's and he had the balls to park it in the GM garage!--haha. It was considered heresy for a Big Three Auto Exec, to even think of buying Japanese, but he recognized early on that Mazda hit a stroke of brilliance with that one--a great handling, finally reliable, 2 seater convertible that didn't rust after the first rain storm....

Yet he was too humble to accept a Cadillac as our free company car--we always had Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, like the cheap timex watches he still wears, although they're digital now, haha. He didn't like having a big, fancy car as the family car, but he appreciated a great car, both then and now.

The guys in the GM Headquarters garage and at the 'Skunk works" where they customized cars outrageously, loved my Dad and though they must of laughed at some of the low profile company cars he preferred, but they knew that a new, custom car always caught his interest, if just for a day or two. He always helped them with legal stuff for free if they needed help and they always liked to 'surprise' pops with something 'new and diffrent' they'd devised from 'The General's' arsenal.

What's kind of strange is while my Dad still likes pretty ordinary cars --a GMC Envoy for him and a sporty SAAB for my Mom--both at least five years old, his father was a 'Cadillac man' and I like a really nice car for everyday use. I guess it skipped generations, but we are, or were, all 'car guys' at heart.

Nonetheless, they always gave him the hottest custom cars to bring home and 'try out'. I remember him bringing home all kinds of odd cars, including custom job Vettes and one time, a hellacious early 1970's Firebird that already had a 6.7 liter, 455 cubic inch motor that 'the boys' in the skunk works decided to see what would happen if they stuck a huge supercharger under the hood. What happened was I almost killed myself in it! Scariest car I ever drove...
He even brought home a 'one off' Camaro Z28 that they had made into a station wagon one time--very weird. Imagine what that'd be worth today if they didn't destroy 'prototypes'....

Man--living in Detroit in the late 60's and early 70's, with Camaros, Vettes, Shelbys, Superbees, AMX's and so much more all up and down Woodward Avenue, was a gas, gas, gas...

Dave H remembers--he was there about that time.

GM also bought most of the the hottest competitor cars the Europeans and Japanese produced and we'd get to drive them and after a certain amount of time, those cars --low mileage and like new, were taken apart to reveal any 'secrets' they held and then committed to the 'crusher' for scrap. Shamey...


Another guy near our house has a mid 1960's DB Aston Martin (English, yes, I know) that would be lovely if put back into 'bristol' condition--it's 'Bond" silver color and all, although that car actually looked better with gold paint. I need to stop by and 'shoot the breeze' with that fellow....

[Jeff S]

No the Sunbeams were British. They had the same engine and trans as the Hillman Minx's and Morris Minors.

Honda built their first car in 1962. Before that they only built motorcycles. It was the S600 - a sports car:



It was featured in the Bond Film where they really had Sean Connery "turning Japanese"   supposedly gave him eye surgery.

Nissan (then Datsun because they thought Nissan sounded too Japanese) in the late 60s started making the 1600 and 2000 roadsters:



Who remembers the 60s Subarus?

[robert angel]

Wow Jeff-That Datsun still looks pretty good today. Was that air dam--aero package on the front end standard? If they tweaked the grill a bit, I bet they could sell that car pretty good today, even if it'd seem a bit 'retro' which is the fashion nowadays.

Where those stock/option or after market wheels? They look like after market, I'd guess. Wouldn't have looked good on that car (wire wheels would though) but the old Cragar SS five star wheels are still a favorite of mine today, mimicked on millions, if not billions, of Hot Wheels toy cars.

Speaking of Hot Wheels--I have some that are said to be valuable, still in package rare ones (VW Van, etc) but sure do wish my mom hadn't tossed all my old ones with the red line wheels! they're worth a bundle on Flea bay--err, I meant 'E Bay"...